Automatic cylinder-cogk



M. B. BREWSTER.

AUTOMATIC CYLINDER COCK.

APPLICATION mp0 MAY 26. 1920.

1,361,004. Patented Dec. 920.

v I lift! 72055: M6

M. B. BREWSTER.

AUTOMATIC CYLINDER COCK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26, I920.

' Patented Dec. 7, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

V M W MORRIS B. BREWSTER, OFCI-IICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC CYLINDER-606K.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7, 1920.

Applicationfiled May 26, 1920. Serial No. 384,493.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MORRIS B. BREWSTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Cylinder-Cocks forLocomotives, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the artto which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has for its object to produce a simple and novel devicewhich will automatically drain the water from locomotive cylinderswithout waste of steam, which will relieve against excessive pressure,and which may be controlled at will by the engineer.

Viewed in another of its aspects my invention may be said to have forits object to produce an automatic cylinder cock for locomotives which,while simple and. compact, will afiord a large discharge opening.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterizedwill hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but,for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects andadvantages, reference may be had to the following detailed descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of afragment of an engine cylinder havingmy improved device attached thereto;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device re moved from the cylinder;

Fig. 3 is a section taken approximately on line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is asection taken approximately on line 4 -4 of Fig. 2 andillustrating a different position of the valve from that occupier by thecorresponding valve in Fig. 3.

My'improved device may be made in individual units, one for each end ofa cylinder or, since two such devices 'will' be required for eachlocomotive engine cylinder, each unit'may be made to contain twodevices, thus simplifying the manufacture and the work of attaching andconnecting up the devices; the drawings illustrating this latter form ofmy invention.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a suitable casing or housinghaving therein two cylindrical chambers, 2 and 3', arranged side by sidewith their axes vertical. In the bottom of the casing, below each ofthecylindrical chambers is a large opening, 4,

cylindrical wall, 7, terminates at some dis tance above the bottom wall,8, of the housing or casing and, furthermore, is spaced apart from theside and end walls, 9 and 10, so as to leave a space or passage, 11,between'the same. Each of the spaces, 11, is placed in communicationwith an end of a locomotive cylinder, such as indicated at 12, through asuitable pipe connection, 13, screwed into or otherwise connected to thecorresponding end wall, 10, of the casing or housing. The pipes, 13, aremade of large diameter so as to permit a free flow of water out of theengine cylinders, this water enteringthe spaces or chambers, 11, and,when free to do so, flowing quickly out through the discharge openings,4:. c

In each of the cylindrical chambers is a hollow piston or short plunger,14, whose length is preferably no greater than the height of thecylindrical walls, 7. Lying below each piston or plunger is a valve, 15,adapted to seat upwardly against the corresponding valve seat, 5. Eachvalve has a stem, 16, extending upwardly through the piston and havingon its upper end a collar or flange, 17,'which rests upon a strongspring,.18, housed within the hollow cylinder. The stem of the valve,where it joins the valve proper,'i's gradually enlarged as indicated at19 and cooperates witha correspondingly-shaped opening, 20, in thebottom of the piston to form a watertight and steam-tight joint when thevalve is drawn upwardly by the spring 18 until the part 19 engages theseat 20.' The spring 18 is placed under initial tension somewhatgreaterthan maximum boiler pressure.

Normally, when there is no pressure in the engine cylinder, both valvestake the position occupied by the left hand valve in Fig. 3; eachpistonand its valve having descended as a unit, under the action of.

- Walls ,Of the casing, 1, from the upperends gravity, so as to open thecorresponding discharge port. Any water in either end of -the enginecylinder may therefore flow freely out of the draining device. Assoon assteam is introduced into one end of the engine cylinder, for example theright'ha-nd end in Fig. 1, and flows through the corresponding pipe intothe drainage device, it

exerts a downward pressure on the upper face of the corresponding valveand upwardly on the bottom faceof the corresponding piston, 14. Theparts are so proporis similarl tioned that the effective piston area eX-posed to the action of the steam is greater than the effective area ofthe valve which exposed, and therefore the resulting di erentialpressure raises the piston .andvalve bodily into the positionillustratedon the righthand' side in Fig. 3; closing the outlet port and preventingthe escape of steam VV-hile the piston: in the enginec'ylinder movesahead, the left hand drain valve remains open and it does .not' closeuntil steam is admitted intothe left hand end of the engine cylinder;whereuponfit will be .closed by the. differential action of the steam asheretofore explained. Asfsoon as the right hand end of the enginecylinderis open to exhaust,.the right handdrain valve opens andpermitswaterof condensation xescape.

If, for any reason, there should be. an abnormally high pressure ineither end'of the engine cylinder such, for example, as mightoccurincase water were. trapped. in one end of the cylinder, this excesspressure,- acting downwardly on the exposed surface of the correspondingdrain'valve, would overcome the tension of'the spring and force thevalve down..as,indicate d in Fig. 4; thus. opening thedischarge port andrelieving the pressurein the engine cylinder before injury can resulttherefrom. p i

In order to permit the engineerto open the-valves. of the drainingdevice at will, I

have provided anair-pipeyQl, into which the engineer may cause a1r underpressure to be admitted, the pipe, .21, having branches, 22 and 23,connected to inlet ports, 2,41and'25, leading throughjone of the side ofthe cylindrical chambers 52 and 3 respectively. By this means airunder-pressure may be introduced into the upper. end of each of thecylindrical chambers, causing the pistons therein, and their associatedvalves, to b'exforced downwardly.

I I claim r l 1; A housinghaving an outlet in the bottomthereof andaninlet', a downwardlyopening valve..for .said outlet, a piston mountedin'said housing and adapted to be moved upwardly by pressure in thelatter,

and a ryieldaible connectionv between said valve and said pistonconstructed and arranged to permit them to move away from each otherwhen forcesof predetermined strength are applied thereto. 7 V 2. 'Ahousing having an outlet in the bottom thereof and an inlet, saidhousing havtom chamber of larger cross sectional area 'ing'therein abovesaid outlet an open-botthansaid outlet, a piston fitting slidably-insaidchamber, a downwardly-opening valve for said outlet, said valvehaving a surface exposed to pressure in the chamber of smaller areathanthe area of said piston. and a connection between said valve andsaid piston.

3. A housing having an inlet and an out-' let, there being in thehousing a cylindrical chamber open onthe side toward said outlet and of,larger cross sectional area than the outlet, a piston slidably mountedin said chamber, an outwardly-opening valve for said outlet,;said valvehaving a surface exposed to pressure in the chamber of smaller area thanthe area of said 'piston and a connection between said valve andsaidpiston.

4. A housinghaving an outlet in the bottom thereof and an inlet, saidhousing'having therein above theoutlet a cylindrical chamber open ontheend toward said outlet andlarger inv diameterthan said outlet, apiston in said chamber, an outwardly opening valve for said outlet, saidvalve ,havingv a: surface exposed to pressure .in' the chamber ofsmaller area than the areaof saidjpiston and .a connection between said7 piston and said valve including .a spring under an initial tensionacting. in the,direc-- tion tending to preventthevalve and the pistonfrom beingmoved away from each other. r

5. A housing having an inletand an outlet, therebeing in the housing acylindrical chamber open on the sidetowardsaid outlet 7 and of largercross sectional area than the outlet, a piston slidably mounted in saidI chamber, an outwardly-opening valve for said outlet, sald valve'havmga surfaceexposed to pressure 1n the chamber of'smaller area thanthe area of said pistonand a connection between saidvalve andsaidpi'ston,

the parts being so, constructed and arranged that the valvev andpistontend constantly to move in the direction to cause .saidoutletto I i beopened.

a spring under an initial tension forming part of said connection andtending constantly to hold said valve and said piston at the innermostlimit of their relative movements.

7. A housing having an outlet in the bottom thereof and an inlet, saidhousing having therein above said outlet an open-bottom chamber oflarger cross sectional area than said outlet, a piston fitting slidablyin said chamber, a downwardly-opening valve for said outlet, said valvehaving a surface exposed to pressure in the chamber of smaller area thanthe area of said piston, said valve having a stem projecting upwardlythrough said piston, a shoulder on the upper end of said rod, and aspring under an initial tension arranged between said shoulder and theunderlying portion of the piston.

8. A housing having an outlet in the bottom thereof and an inlet, adownwardlyopening valve for said outlet, a piston mounted in saidhousing and adapted to be moved upwardly by pressure in the latter, ayieldable connection between said valve and said piston constructed andarranged to permit them to move away from each other when forces ofpredetermined strength are applied thereto, and means for admittingfluid under pressure above said piston to cause it to travel down andopen said valve.

In testimony whereof I sign this speci- MORRIS B. BREWSTER.

fication.

